Secular alliance ditched NCP, talks to form 3rd front: Tariq Anwar

Patna: Blaming the grand secular alliance for 'ditching' it in seat-sharing, the NCP yesterday said it has almost shut door on the grouping of JD(U), RJD and Congress and is in talks with the Left and other parties to form a third front during the coming Bihar elections.

"The way they (secular alliance) ditched us while deciding seats it seems there is no room left for talks with it...It seems we are left with only one option - that is to form a third front with Left and other parties," NCP general secretary Tariq Anwar told reporters.

"The way they (secular alliance) treated us where is the question of going with them?" a peeved Anwar said. Expressing anger against the secular alliance constituents for distributing seats among themselves and leaving only three for NCP, he added, there was no criteria for seat distribution and NCP was not consulted.

"The three distributed seats among themselves and left us on the road," Anwar added. "Being a Lok Sabha MP I have a minimum claim over six assembly seats but they (secular alliance) gave us only three and that too without talking to me," he cited, adding, it appeared alliance parties were overconfident that Muslims in particular were with them and they did not need him.

"We came to know about distribution of 100 seats each for JD(U) and RJD, 40 to Congress leaving rest 3 for us in grand secular alliance from TV and newspapers...It is great humiliation for NCP in the hands of secular parties," the NCP leader added.